Josh's Current Constuction Projects

Here are pictures of some of the projects Josh is currently working on in addition to all the maintenance issues of the campus! He is a busy, busy man but I know that this is exactly where God wants him to be! He works long hard days and has many frustrations but is getting a lot done here at ABC with God's help.

This building is going to be the cafeteria for the Academy School. Josh and the workers are putting up huge trusses so that the roofs can be thatched with hay. It is hard work without cranes and large equipment, but these amazing guys get it done somehow! Check out these amazing pictures!

Amazing Avocados!

Tis the season to eat avocados! Look at the size of these things! God knew that we would have to go to a place that would give us Californians the avocados we so love! What a blessing! It is amazing the things you get excited about here in Africa.

Run-in with a Spitting Cobra! YIKES!

Driving home from Bible study last night we saw a huge snake on the road and Josh sped up to run over it. When we got out to look at what type of snake it was, we found out that it was SPITTING COBRA!! It was still very much alive and he and Bob poked at it with a stick a few times and just couldn't help teasing it!!

Yes, Amy and I decided they are officially crazy and take no responsibility for their adventures! :)

Farewell to William!

Josh's partner William, that he has been working with since August, left last month to go work for SIM building houses and churched in the bush of Sudan. He was such a great guy and Josh and the workers miss him so much already!! To say thank you for all he has done they decided to give him a "Malawian Farewell"! Bob and Josh and the boys bought a couple of goats to roast and they had a great party! Here are some fun pictures of the party and the goat slaughtering. The big pile of white stuff on everyone's place is called encima.

Encima is a maize mush kind of thing that is the staple food here in Africa. They always tease and say they are not full or you did not feed them if your meal does not include Encima! They love it! I have had it many times and it is really not bad!

Enjoy the pictures!

Zomba

On the last week of spring break I was invited by some friends to go to one of the most beautiful places I have ever been....ZOMBA! WOW! It was like Africa, mixed with Oregon, mixed with Julian and Big Bear. I don't know how else to describe it but it wasn't like anything that I thought existed in Africa at all. My friends Dan & Beth and their baby Elijah invited me and my friend Michelle to come along since Josh was still in Tanzania on the outreach trip with Bob. We got to stay at a little rustic cabin for as cheap as $7 per night per person and the food shopping between the five of us was super reasonable. While we were there we really got to rest and relax. It was pretty chilly because we were up in the mountains, so we made a fire every morning and night which was a nice change. It just felt like being home for a few days for some strange reason? Anyway, we went hiking to the top of the plateau and stopped at many beautiful dams and waterfalls on our way up to Queen's view at the very top. It was a little foggy, but so beautiful! We could see all of Zomba and it was a treat for the eyes!












The dirt in Zomba is a deep rich red and has a texture similar to clay. It got a little slippery at times and it did not help that I brought one old converse shoe and one new converse shoe to hike in!! He he he! Oh well! Here are some pictures of some of the unbelievable African men who walk up to the top of the plateau (several hours each way) every day to cut wood, load it on their bikes, and then walk it all back down the mountain stacked ridiculously high. Some of these guys do not even wear any shoes at all and I just can't get over how beat up and different their feet look from ours! Ouch! We are so wimpy, at least I feel wimpy compared to these guys! Check them out! They do all of this for maybe 700 Kwatcha a day (about $5 US dollars).









Anyway, after hiking and visiting the trout farm, we got to go horseback riding the next day through the beautiful wilderness. A lady right across the street from where we were staying had horses so it was the perfect thing to do on a fresh, crisp morning.






Here are a bunch of pictures from the hike but they do not do this place any justice at all! I was grateful for a few days away from campus life! It can get a little claustrophobic around here during the holidays when everyone is away. It was a wonderful blessing that I will never forget! Here are some more pictures of our fun time!

Putzi Fly! Oh my!

So last week was one of the coolest, yet grossest weeks of my entire life. I left to go on my first little safari get away and I noticed that I had some strange bites on my thighs and my leg. I just figured it was some random bite, because it seems like you have a new one each week, so I left on the safari and the next day the bumps started to turn into little boil looking things that were really painful. The first thing that popped into my mind was that it might be the dreaded Putzi Fly! My friend Michelle had one on her leg and she said it was horrible. They are little flies that lay their eggs in damp clothes that have been left outside. When you put these damp clothes on the eggs hatch upon contact with human skin. After a few days you get a maggot that starts growing in your skin!! I hoped to God that this is not what I had, but when I got home and went to the clinic the diagnosis was confirmed - 8 Putzi Fly maggots were in my legs!! Gross!! To get the maggots out of your skin you have to smother them with Vaseline and then squeeze. The little maggots just squeeze out but it is very painful and horrible! The maggot also leaves a lovely hole in you skin that I am sure is going to leave huge scars! All eight are now out of my body, but now they itch horribly and it is very uncomfortable! The doctor here is great and I am going to back tomorrow for a re-check. We also got our dryer fixed which was the whole reason I got them in the first place! This is just one of those wonderful African memories that I will never forget!! Thank you God for getting me through!

Here is a picture of the first four maggots that came out of my skin!! Enjoy!